Ninja Gaiden: Masters of the World
by Freedan the Eternal
Summary: When a strange amulet falls into his hands and his wife is taken hostage, Ryu Hayabusa sets out on a mission of vengeance and rescue, little does he know this seemingly isolated event will set in motion a plot to overthrow humanity itself...
1. Chapter 1

Ninja Gaiden: Masters of the World

By: Freedan the Eternal

Okay, just a quick message: This is listed in the Dead or Alive section because there is no Ninja Gaiden section! Somebody should fix that. It does involve som DoA characters besides Ryu, though, so maybe it'll even out.

This is going to be shorter than my other fics, though, probably 8-10 chapters.

**Chapter 1: Unwanted Guests**

The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting a gold glow over the city as the population ended their day, returning to their homes, whether to be with their families, lovers, friends, or simply to be alone.

In one small antique shop in a part of town that had nothing special about it, Ryu Hayabusa sat behind the counter at the back of the store, counting the money in the cash drawer and totaling the day's profits. It had been a slow day, and now, ten minutes to closing, only two customers remained in the store.

He looked up from time to time to check on them. The first was a young man, moving down the racks, looking overly interested in knickknacks and worthless knock-offs. He was keeping his hands in the pockets of his jacket, and Ryu almost unconsciously searched for the tell-tale bulge of a pistol, but did see one. Sometimes he thought he was paranoid, but being paranoid had saved his life more than once.

The other man was older, at least in his forties, at the far left end of the sword, leaning down over the locked display case featuring several traditional Japanese swords. He seemed particularly interested in the Dragon clan katana, and that one would cost him a fair penny.

"Almost finished?"

Ryu glanced over his shoulder to see Irene coming from the door leading out the back of the shop to their living area. She grabbed a chair from under the counter and sat down next to him. She pulled a pack of cigarettes from her shirt and took one to place in her lips and reached for her lighter.

Ryu was quicker, and snatched the cigarette from her mouth, dropping it to the floor and grinding it under his foot. "We agreed that you were going to quit smoking when we found out about the baby, remember?" he reminded her, putting the money he held back in the cash drawer.

Irene, Ryu's wife, was three months pregnant, and he was bound and determined that the child was going to be healthy. "Besides," he added, "You should be long over craving the nicotine by now."

"Oh, I wasn't going to light it," she lied, "I read in a magazine that it's more psychological than anything. It's an oral fixation. I just have a habit of needing something to suck on."

Ryu leaned forward and grabbed a grape sucker from a jar of candy on the counter intended for children whose parents brought to the store with them. He handed it to Irene. "Suck on this, then."

Irene chuckled and popped the sucker into her mouth. "You going to close up?" she asked around the handle.

"In another few minutes," Ryu said, "That guy over there is looking pretty heavily at the swords. Might make something good from him."

"And the other one?"

The young man looked away quickly when Ryu glanced in his direction. The hood of his jacket was up and he was wearing dark sunglasses that hid his eyes well. "I think he's going to try to rob us," Ryu said.

"He looks like the Unabomber," Irene said, looking at the young man, "Should I get the video camera? We can send the tape to _World's Dumbest Criminals_."

"No," Ryu said, "Just move over to the other end of the counter, see if the other one has any questions about the swords or something. I'll see if I can bait this one into pulling his stunt."

Irene nodded and rose from her seat and moved down the counter like he'd said. Ryu leaned forward in his seat and reached under the counter, tapping the small shelf with his fingers, meaning to look as though he was searching for something, keeping his eyes down. Sure enough, a moment of this and he heard the young man's footsteps approaching the counter.

He looked up in time to see the man pull a small pistol from his jacket pocket. Ryu wasn't familiar with the model, but it was a real pissant weapon. At any kind of range, it would probably be more dangerous if it were thrown than fired, but at this distance it should have more than enough firepower to do the job.

"Quiet," the man said, "Open the drawer. Give me the cash."

"Or what?" Ryu asked, crossing his arms over his chest, "You going to shoot me with two witnesses? You better wise up quick, son. You picked the wrong store and time for a holdup."

"Don't get smart with me!" the man said, "Just give the money!"

"They've seen your face now, too," Ryu said, "In fact, that man's already got his phone out and is no doubt calling the police.

The man glanced to his right, toward Irene an the older man.

Ryu's arm snapped out and snatched the man's wrist, and twisted it around, slamming it into the counter. With a cry of pain, the man lost his grip on the gun and it clattered on the counter. Ryu used his other hand to shove the man away from the counter, then leaped over it after him.

"Now you listen," Ryu said, stepping closer, the man backing away as he did so, "This is my property. You pulled a gun on me. I could have just killed you and would have gotten away with a self-defense plea."

The man backed up the aisle toward the front door, Ryu walking after him. He was holding the wrist Ryu had grabbed with his other hand. "I'm running an honest business here," Ryu continued, "And I don't appreciate it when someone tries to take my hard-earned money that I need to survive."

The man felt the door against his back. "Get out of my store," Ryu said, "I don't want to ever see you here again, got it?"

The man pushed the door open as quickly as he could. Suddenly Ryu's hand shot out and grabbed the man's shirt, stopping him short. "Careful," Ryu said, letting go once he had steadied the man, "Mind the step."

The man nodded quickly and turned, stepping off the step and moving quickly down the sidewalk. "You might want to get a doctor to look at that wrist, by the way," Ryu called out the door after him.

He pulled the door shut and turned to walk back to the counter. He realized someone was clapping.

Ryu turned to see the older man watching him with a smile under his graying beard. Irene was also watching him, her brow creased and a frown on her face. She gestured with a lean of her head toward the man.

"You didn't have something to do with that, did you?" Ryu asked.

"Of course not," the man said, putting his hands in his jacket pockets, "If I did, it would have been someone a bit more capable than a street thug. But based on how easily you dealt with him, it would be a safe assumption that you're as good as they say you are, ninja."

"Irene," Ryu said, "Lock the door, put up the closed sign."

She nodded and moved out from behind the counter to do so.

"And as for you," Ryu said, turning again to the man, "How do you know me?"

Ryu was well aware there was nothing on his person that would have identified him. He was wearing a white T-shirt with an image of the Incredible Hulk on the front and a pair of blue jeans, and didn't even have a knife on him. To anyone uninformed, he would look simply like a Japanese man who owned an antique shop married to a beautiful brunette who was three months pregnant with their child.

"Your exploits are quite legendary, you know," the man said, "The sole heir to the Dragon lineage, rightful master of the Dragon Sword, a previous Dead or Alive champion, and only eighteen months ago you single-handedly prevented the resurrection of the Archfiend."

"Get to the point, old man," Ryu said.

"I am a member of an organization that makes a point to keep track of the powerful players of the world," the man said, "And before you ask, it's not the CIA or the KGB or any other such group. We're not government affiliated. They're more interested in politicians anyway."

"You still haven't answered my question."

The man smiled. "I'm getting to that. You see, you're on a list of subject under constant watch because, quite simply, you're one of the single most dangerous men alive. In fact, you're number four on our list."

"And what?' Ryu asked, crossing his arms, "Should I know numbers one to three or something?"

"No, you've never met them," the man said, "This is more for my own curiosity than why I'm here, but, why? With everything you are capable of, why live here, in Chicago, running an antique store?"

Irene appeared at Ryu's side from behind him. He glanced at her, then turned back to the man and crossed his arms over his chest. "That's none of your concern. Now, why are you here?"

The man sighed. "You ninja aren't much for small talk, are you? Very well, I'm here because of this."

He removed one hand from his pocket and held it out to Ryu. In his palm, he held a small amulet on a thin chain, the metal rusted brown, but letters still visible in the surface of the amulet.

"Consider this a gift from us to you, Ryu Hayabusa," the man said.

"What is it?" Ryu asked, not budging in the least.

"We're not sure," the man said, "The language predates any we have in our database, which is considerable, but we want it to be safe until we have more time and manpower to spare to the work of translation. It was decided that if you will take it, it will be left in your care until we come calling for it. You will be free to do with it what you will in that time. Try to translate it yourself, if you wish."

"And if I choose to grind it into dust?"

"Now, Mister Hayabusa, you and I both know you won't do anything of the sort," the man said.

"And what exactly do I get out of this?" Ryu said, "I'll not work for strangers for free."

The man took his other hand from its pocket and held between his fingers a slip of paper. "This is a phone number where you can reach me. Just ask for Eric. Information is one of the greatest resources in the world, and it is one thing my organization has in abundance."

Ryu looked at the amulet. To be honest, he was tempted to see if he could translate the language on it.

"Okay, _Eric_," he said, "One last thing. Who is after this amulet that makes you want to get rid of it so easily?"

"What makes you think anyone is looking for it?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Ryu said, "This thing's obviously valuable at the very least. Who is after it?"

Eric sighed. "You're very shrewd," he said, "But I suppose that's one reason you're still alive at this time. Very well, there is a small group of mercenaries that want it back."

"Mercenaries?"

"They were the ones who found it. They were amply paid, but seemed to think they were allowed to steal from us simply because it was a small artifact. You need not worry. No one knows I'm here."

Ryu stared long and hard at the old man. He had a small smile on his face, and Ryu was fairly convinced it was solely to put him at ease. Ryu looked down at the amulet again. He couldn't read the language, but he could swear he'd seen the lettering before, somewhere.

"Fine," Ryu said, "I'll take it, but I warn you, if anyone should come here looking for it, I'll hold you responsible."

"Excellent," the man said as Ryu reached forward to take the amulet and slip of paper with the phone number, "I hope this is the beginning of a pleasant relationship between my organization and yourself."

"Don't hold your breath," Ryu said, and handed Irene the amulet, "Here, why don't you take this to back? I'll let our guest out."

"Okay, Ryu," Irene said, taking the amulet and turning to leave by the door behind the counter.

Ryu gestured toward the front door, and the old man walked beside him to the front.

"You seem to be a very untrusting man, Hayabusa," the man said, "I wonder how you can go through life like that."

"I trust those who have earned it," Ryu said, unlocking the front door and pulling it open, "Now go. I'll hope you come to get that thing fairly soon so I can be rid of it."

"So be it," the man said, stepping out the door and onto the sidewalk, "I'll see you again, and hopefully you'll be more willing to talk then."

He turned and started walking down the street. Ryu watching him until he turned the corner at the end of the block. A second later, the street lights switched on, illuminating the street nearly bright as day. Ryu closed the door, locking the latch and deadbolt, then reached up to the top and pulled down the steel gate, locking it on the floor.

He moved to the front window and pulled down another steel barrier and locked it in two locations to cover the wide window, then turned and walked to the back and went through the back door.

In the back of the shop was where he and Irene lived, the main room immediately behind the shop served as a dining and living area, with a low table to one side of the room, and a television and two easy chairs at the other end, and a small kitchen area in the corner near the dining table. It was barely large enough for the gas range and refrigerator, with the cabinets containing the dishes mounted on the wall above the stove.

On the right hand side was a doorway that led to the hallway which connected to the bathroom, their bedroom, and a side room they were steadily converting into a nursery. They did not know what sex the child would be yet, so were hesitant in the selection of colors of things.

Right next to the door was the wide bookcase that served to house both Ryu's collection of history textbooks, and their shared collection of novels, videos, and DVDs.

Irene looked over at him from the kitchen as he entered, and turned the heat on under a large pot of water, then opened the refrigerator and pulled out a packet of fettuccini noodles. He saw the amulet on the table, and moved to the bookcase, scanning across the collection of textbooks for one in particular.

"So what are we in for?" Irene asked, opening the package of noodles and measuring out a specific amount.

"I'm not sure yet," Ryu said, finding the book he was seeking and taking it from the shelf, "But I'm going to find out."

The book he had was not an official history text, but a work right out of the Dragon clan's personal library, on ancient, forgotten languages that even the most learned of historians were unlikely to have ever seen. He set it down on the table, sitting on the floor next to it and started leafing through the pages, comparing the lettering on the amulet to the languages detailed in the book.

Irene turned back to the cooking, taking a can of tomato sauce from the cabinet and opening it into a small saucepan, placing it onto the stove next to the pot of water.

She was well aware of what her husband was, and what he was capable of. He would never knowingly place her in danger, she knew. She also knew that if someone intending them harm did show up here, they'd regret the rest of their life, all ten seconds of it.

She remembered the news reports from just over a year ago. All over the world, monsters had appeared, with the military and police forces unable to do a thing about it. But one by one, the major cities of the world were retaken, the military finding massive numbers of the creatures' bodies strewn throughout them, the fighting already over by the time they arrived.

It was rather a chilling to know Ryu had done all that himself, and yet exhilarating. He had improved so much from the rookie ninja he had been when she first met him, and had just been outright told today that he was the fourth most dangerous man alive.

So who were the three more dangerous than him?

Ryu flipped through more pages of the book. He was seeing similarities in the lettering on the amulet and several different languages so far, which was a surprising development, but not entirely unexpected. All the languages of the world had evolved from a single ancient language that had existed long before the dawn of known history. Back when the fiends roamed the earth and ruled over mankind.

It was rapidly becoming apparent that the lettering on the amulet would not be translatable with any of the languages detailed in this book, but its similarity to so many of them in the shape of some letters, and the grammatical inclinations suggested it was an even more ancient language.

"No wonder they couldn't translate it," he muttered to himself, "This language has been dead for at least two million years."

"That long?" Irene asked, overhearing him, "It must be worth a fortune, then."

"To the right person," Ryu said, not ready to give up on translating it just yet.

He stood up and moved back to the door, picking up the phone off the wall and dialed in a number. He heard the other end ringing. It rang three times before it was picked up. "Hello?" came a girl's voice from the other end.

"_Konichiwa, Kasumi-san,_" Ryu said, speaking in Japanese, "_This is Ryu Hayabusa._"

"_Oh, Master Ryu!_" came the reply, "_How is Irene doing?_"

"_She's doing quite well,_" Ryu said, "_Sorry, but I'm afraid I've got a more important reason for calling._"

"_Of course,_" Kasumi said, "_How can I help?_"

"_I recently came into possession of an unusual artifact,_" Ryu said, "_There is writing on it in a language too ancient to translate at present. I don't want to leave Irene alone right now, so I'm afraid I have to ask you to go to Japan, to Hayabusa village, and get a text called 'Voice of the Devils' for me._"

"_That's not a quick trip_," Kasumi said, "_And if I should run into Ayane anywhere…_"

"_Tell her you're there for me and getting in your way would risk antagonizing me,_" Ryu said. He didn't mean it as a threat to her life, but Ayane respected him well enough she wouldn't get in the way of something he needed.

"_All right. Hopefully I won't encounter her at all._"

"_I'll wire you the money for the plane ticket in the morning,_" Ryu said, "_Sorry for such short notice._"

"_I'll forgive you if Irene makes me some of her peach cobbler when I get back,_" Kasumi said.

"_I'll let her know. Thank you._"

Ryu hung up the phone.

Irene's Japanese was far from perfect, but she caught most of what Ryu had been saying. "Is Kasumi coming to see us?" she asked.

"She's going to Japan first to get something for me," Ryu said, picking up the book and the amulet from the table, "She said she wants you to make some of your peach cobbler when she gets here, though."

"We'll need to go buy some peaches then," Irene said, "And a few other things I don't have right now."

Ryu sandwiched the amulet between the pages of the book and put it in the bookcase. Kasumi would need a few days to get to Japan, then to Hayabusa village and back to a city with an airport, so it would be about a week before she arrived here in Chicago.

He was about to sit down in his chair and turn on the TV when a distant sound stopped him.

It had been faint. He almost wondered if he'd actually heard it when there was another sound, like breaking glass.

Irene caught that sound as well. "What was that?"

"Someone's in the store," Ryu said, and turned to the wall mount where the Dragon sword was on display. He snatched it up and moved to the door, then turned back to Irene, "Stay here."

She nodded. Ryu opened the door and stepped into the shop.

It was dark. Ryu could see the shadows of the rows of merchandise. The front window and door, as well as the steel screens over them were intact. In the faint light coming through the front window, Ryu could see fragments of glass on the floor in the main aisle leading to the front door. A valuable Ming Dynasty vase had fallen and shattered on the floor.

Ryu pulled the door shut behind him, then drew the Dragon sword from its sheath, and dropped the sheath to the floor. Someone was here. He could hear their breathing.

His eyes kept moving, checking the shadows. They were hiding somewhere, and moment they moved, he would have them.

He heard the click of the hammer being drawn back on a pistol. He turned to the sound. He saw the glint of the faint light off the barrel of the weapon, pointed in his direction. The gunshot exploded, the muzzle flash lighting up the store for one brief instant.

Ryu reacted instantly, turning his sword to the side and deflecting the bullet into the ceiling, then leaped up, over the counter, toward the shooter. The gunman was lifting his aim to follow Ryu, but he was already coming down and with one swift swing of his weapon, separated the man from his gun at the wrist, the pistol and his hand dropping to the floor with a spatter of blood.

A second shooter materialized out of the shadow to Ryu's left, taking aim at him. The shot rang out, Ryu quickly sidestepping, and he heard the sizzle of the round as it passed his body, and spun toward the shooter, catching his wristing in his free hand. Ryu jerked the man toward himself, then struck upward with the hilt of his sword, directly into the man's elbow, bending it in reverse with a loud snap, and the pistol dropped to the floor with a thump as the man cried out in pain.

Ryu stepped to the side and spun, bringing up his foot for a swift roundhouse kick to the back of the man's skull, which knocked him face first into the floor with an audible crunch as his nose was crushed into his face.

A third man leaped at him from behind, wielding a large knife. He was aiming low, trying to stab Ryu in the kidney. Ryu stepped to the right, the knife passing his side, and caught the man's arm under his left arm, then spun on the spot, twisting the arm until it snapped, and the knife fell to the floor, and the man screamed in agony.

A shot rang out, the bullet whizzing past Ryu, into the helmet of a suit of medieval armor, the bullet punching a neat hole through the breastplate of the aged metal. It was the first man, trying to aim with his badly shaking left hand. Ryu dashed quickly toward him, spinning into a kick that knocked the gun from his hand, and continued straight into another spinning kick to his chest that knocked him flat on his back.

Before he could get up, Ryu moved forward and stomped down on his hand, feeling the bones of his fingers crack beneath the heel of his boot, eliciting another scream of agony.

There was the sound of shattering glass, and Ryu turned to see the third man turning away from the sword display case holding one of the weapons in his working hand.

He charged Ryu with a shout in a language Ryu didn't recognize and swung the blade toward Ryu's face. Ryu brought up his left hand, using the back of his hand to strike the side of the blade, turning it harmlessly away to slice into the floor. Before the man could recover, Ryu stabbed the Dragon sword home into the man's stomach and pulled upward, slicing up through his ribs and right out the top of his skull.

He collapsed to the ground in a shower of blood, and a large pool forming rapidly from the two separated halves of his body. Ryu turned back to the one still living man and jerked him up from the floor by his shirt.

"Who do you work for?" Ryu asked.

The man said something Ryu couldn't understand. He now recognized the language, though he couldn't speak it. It was Russian.

"You're going to die one way or the other," Ryu said, putting the tip of his sword under the man's chin, "Cooperate and it will be considerably less painful."

That got a reaction. The man swallowed nervously. "Volk. We are Volk," he said in a thick Russian accent, "We here for job."

"What kind of job?" Ryu asked.

"Japanese man. He pay good money for… for…," he was searching for the right word, and ventured, "Necklace?"

"You're a mercenary," Ryu said.

"Da!" the man said, "Is nothing personal. Maybe let me live?"

"Just what makes you think your necklace is here?" Ryu asked.

"Our man watch today. He see it give to you," the man said.

"Nobody knows you're here, huh?" Ryu muttered, "That son of a…"

Irene suddenly screamed in the back of the store.

Ryu shoved the mercenary away and leaped over the counter, crashing right through the back door.

He entered the back room in time to see Irene grab the pot of boiling water from the stove and hurl it directly into the face of another one of the mercenaries, noodles and all, and the man dropped to his knees, screaming as the scalding water washed over his face and seeped into his clothing, his skin almost immediately burning his skin red.

Ryu stepped forward quickly, and with one quick slice, cut his blade through the mercenary's neck, blood gushing from his neck as his head rolled off his shoulders and his body fell forward, landing just short of Irene's feet, with her back against the refrigerator.

Ryu turned to see another mercenary step out of the hall leading to the bedroom. They were coming in the back window. This one held an AK-47 in his hands. With a grin he pulled the trigger and the weapon barked off round after round toward them.

Ryu stepped quickly in front of Irene. His blade danced before him, faster than the human eye could follow, sparks showering from it in a dazzling light show as bullet after bullet was deflecting into the walls, ceiling, and floor.

Unfortunately, against an automatic weapon, all he could do was defend himself until it the shooter either stopped firing or the clip was empty. And he couldn't stop when he heard Irene shout.

"Ryu, look out!"

The blow seemed to come from nowhere. He turned he head just in time to see the heel of the boot that slammed into his head. He wasn't aware of falling, but found himself looking up, his vision blurry and his muscles not willing to respond.

"Search the place, quickly," a woman's voice said, "If he gets up before we are gone, we're all dead."

"Just put bullet in head," said a mercenary, "No worry then."

"Get away from him!" Irene shouted.

"He may have hidden it," said the other woman, "If we can't find it, we'll need him alive."

Ryu could hear boot steps, and they were growing fainter. He fought to hold onto consciousness. More mercenaries were coming in.

The woman looked down at him. Ryu still couldn't see, and couldn't make out her face. All he could see was her white hair. And then he couldn't hold on any longer, and everything went dark.

* * *

Ryu opened his eyes. His head was throbbing. Whoever that woman was, she had a hell of a kick. He couldn't believe he'd let himself be caught off guard like that. Then he remembered.

"Irene?" he asked, climbing to his feet.

The room was trashed. Books and papers lay scattered all over the floor, the dishes and food had all been pulled out of the cabinet and fridge, the table was overturned. They'd even cut open the chairs and pulled the stuffing out.

"Irene!" Ryu called again, checking the bedroom, which was also torn apart, then went into the front of the store.

It was even more disheartening than the mess in the back. Not a single one of the more fragile wares he had was unbroken, and what wasn't broken was missing. They'd taken or destroyed everything. Shelves were dumped over on the floor, the suit of armor was in pieces, and the cash drawer's lock was broken, the money all gone.

There was a sheet of paper on the counter, though. In sharp cursive writing, it stated, "We didn't find what we were after, which is most unfortunate for you. If you want to see your wife again, bring the amulet to New York City, the Fever Palace on 116th street. Try anything stupid and she dies."

In place of a signature, there was a sketch in red ink of the face of a wolf.

They didn't find…?

Ryu went back to the back. There were still a few books on the bookshelf, one of which was the text of languages. He pulled it out and opened it. The amulet was still there.

He took it and slipped it into his hip pocket. He quickly picked up the Dragon sword and retrieved the sheath. While in the front, he checked the steel screen by the door. Sure enough, the lock was broken, and so were the lock and deadbolt in the door. He turned and went back into the back and into the bedroom.

In the far corner, he pulled up the carpet where it was not nailed down and opened the small trap in the floor. Inside was the black costume worn by the Hayabusa ninja. He picked up the costume and went back into he main room.

He picked up the phone and put it to his ear. It was still working. He quickly dialed a number. At four rings, it was picked up.

"Sonia, this is Ryu Hayabusa. I need a favor."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Rooftop Chase**

Ryu scanned the streets beneath himself, reaching up absent mindedly to adjust the mask on his face. After checking the time, he'd found he'd been unconscious less than thirty minutes. The mercenaries had worked fast, but they'd taken a fair amount of valuables from the shop, as well as Irene, so he doubted they could have gone far, and there was no way they could outrun him on foot. Standing on the roof of an adjacent apartment building, he had a fair view of the area, but unfortunately couldn't find any sign of them.

It was likely they had a vehicle, but given the possibilities, it would likely have to have been a small, quiet vehicle, else he would have heard it, even from the back of the shop. He had killed at least two of them, injured one, plus the two he had seen in the back and the woman who seemed to be in command. It couldn't have been a small vehicle to haul that many men and their weapons.

No, they had approached the shop on foot, likely with a getaway vehicle some distance away, which meant they couldn't be far yet.

There were very few vehicles moving in the street. Some parts of the city would never go to sleep, but this area tended to be quiet at night, save for distance honking and once in a while a gunshot.

And Ryu could hear something that didn't belong, that mixed in with the other sounds and yet was strange. It was growing louder. He turned to look behind him to see a helicopter flying toward him, high overhead. It was painted black, and silhouetted itself against the dark clouds that hid the stars.

And it was no civilian vehicle. It was a troop carrier, held aloft by two spinning rotors, and capable of carrying at least thirty men.

"They should have been shot down by the air force before they even got over the city," Ryu said to himself as it passed over his head, "unless I'm wrong, but it can't hurt to check."

He turned and ran toward the side of the apartment building and leaped from the rooftop, hundreds of feet in the air over the street, and spread his arms, the wind whipping past his body as he steered himself through the air, gaining more and more speed. He angled himself so that he whipped around the corner of the next tall building, and quickly snatched the rope and grappling hook from his belt, hurling it out to catch on a window sill and swinging downward and riding back up on the centrifugal force to throw himself higher than before as the hook detached and he landed on the rooftop.

Catching the hook in his hand as it flew up behind him, he started running again. If the ones who had taken Irene were in that chopper, they were going to regret what they were doing very soon.

* * *

Irene found herself sitting on the helicopter between two of the hulking brutes. The one on her right was being tended by another, who was bandaging over his wrist where his hand had been severed clean, and it seemed his other hand was broken. The one on her left was checking the sight on his AK, apparently confused how he could empty an entire clip at Ryu and not hit him a single time. There were three more seated across from her, occasionally glancing her direction but usually watching out the window as the chopper lifted skyward, and one counting the money he had taken from the cash drawer as they had ransacked the shop.

They had even brought the bodies of the three Ryu had killed, piling them near the back of the chopper, along with several of the more valuable things from the store, including the Japanese swords and a few sets of flintlock pistols.

They weren't paying much attention to her at all. They must not have considered her a threat. Irene knew they wouldn't have brought her along this far unless it was to use as either bait or a hostage.

The man on her left had a large knife in a holster on the side of his leg, within easy reach.

The white-haired woman emerged from the cockpit, walking back toward them and stopped in front of Irene. She glared down at her a moment, then turned to the man getting his wrist bandaged.

"Teach you to pay attention, won't it?" she said.

The man growled at her.

She couldn't have been a part of their group, and not just based on that reaction. Irene noticed that the men all spoke Russian, or broken to barely passable English with heavy Russian accents, while this woman sounded British.

"So how'd you managed to get a permit for this behemoth?" Irene asked her, "I'd have thought the air force would have shot it down on the way in."

The woman turned to look at her. "Money is everything in this country," she said, "You'd be surprised just how easy it was. Now shut up."

"Hey," one of the men across from them said, "Someone following us!"

The woman moved to where she could see. Sure enough, she spied a figure in black moving across the rooftops, deftly making use of a grappling hook to climb onto higher and higher buildings as he drew closer to them.

"Pilot! Get us higher!" she shouted at the cockpit, "Above the skyscrapers!"

"Thunderstorm brewing!" came a shout back, "Bad idea to go into clouds!"

"You get us out of that bastard's reach before I gut you!" the woman shouted.

The helicopter lurched slightly as the pilot sullenly pulled higher. In that moment, Irene saw the woman lose her balance on her feet and go completely flat-footed.

She snatched the knife from the sheath on the merc's leg and lunged across the cabin, going for the woman's back. She was halfway there before anyone reacted. The woman turned, too late, and everything seemed to be going in slow motion. Irene aimed the tip of the knife for her spine, deliberately to miss her shoulder-blades.

A hand caught her wrist, not painfully, but firm enough to drag her to a stop. She couldn't believe her eyes. A ninja had materialized as if from nowhere, clad in a black and white camouflage outfit and snatched her wrist with superhuman speed. She looked up to see his eyes just above the edge of his mask, partially shadowed by his hood.

He grabbed her shoulder with his other hand and shook her wrist, forcing her to drop the knife on the floor, then pushed her back to her seat.

The white haired woman leaned down and picked up the knife, then walked over the merc Irene had snatched it from. "This is yours, right?" she asked.

The man swallowed. "Da," he said.

The woman flipped the knife over in her hand, so the blade was down, then drove it into his thigh. The merc screamed as the blood spurted up around the blade.

"You two!" the woman said, pointing to two of the mercs on the other side of the chopper, "Tie her hands. For Christ's sake, she's a CIA operative! Do I have to do all the thinking here?"

They moved to do as she said quickly. Irene didn't fight back, keeping her eyes on the ninja. She'd never seen anyone move as fast as he had, no one but Ryu, that was. And what was he doing with a group of mercenaries to begin with?

* * *

The helicopter was going higher. Ryu tossed out the grappling hook again, latching it onto a flagpole sticking out from the corner of the next building, riding it down into the side of the building and running along the windows, veering upward, the hook releasing and tossing it out again to latch onto the edge of the roof as his momentum failed, and pulled himself up along the rope.

Once on the roof he snatched up the hook and ran full speed after the chopper, leaping over an air conditioning unit then off the side of the roof, spreading his arms and letting the wind carry him forward, faster and faster, down the street, then veering to the left toward an office building before he fell too far down.

He landed hard on a narrow window-ledge on the next building and looked up quickly. He'd passed the chopper up and was ahead of it now. He hurled the grappling hook upward, snatching another ledge several floors up and started pulling himself up. Once up the rope, he hurled it up again, climbing quickly until he reached the roof just as the chopper flew by, gradually going higher.

He dashed after it, spinning the grappling hook to hurl it at the chopper. As he leaped from the edge of the rooftop, he tossed it with everything he had. The hook sailed through the air to wrap around the tail of the chopper, the sharp hook digging into the metal siding just below the steering rotor.

The rope suddenly went taut in his hands, nearly jerking itself from his grip and sliding several inches through his hands. Thunder cracked overhead and raindrops started to fall, beating against his body through the thin material of his outfit, and he started to pull himself hand over hand toward the helicopter.

* * *

Irene had heard the loud clank and then scraping metal, along with everyone else. The woman had cursed and moved back to the window, looking back to try to see what was happening. She suddenly cursed again as she saw Ryu swing into sight for a moment, pulling himself up a rope attached to the chopper, then flip out of sight again in the wind.

She didn't care to imagine what would happen if he managed to get on board with them. In this confined space, there would really be no escape. She decided it didn't matter what her employer had said about his well-being, she was going to kill him. She slid open the door on the side of the chopper, to the cursing of the mercs as the wind and rain poured in on them.

Bracing herself with one hand on the rail above the door, she picked up one of the merc's AK and leaned out, trying to keep a grip on the rifle with one hand, aiming back in the direction of Ryu, waiting for the wind to flip him into sight once more.

A hand grabbed her and pulled her back inside. It was the ninja. "Sit down," he said, pushing her back from the door, "He's no good to us dead. I'll detain him while you escape."

"What are you going to…?" the woman asked, but stopped when the ninja leaned out the door and leaped toward the back end of the chopper.

* * *

Ryu pulled himself closer to the chopper, fighting the growing wind and the rain making the rope slick. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a large shape appeared in front of him, colliding with him with incredible force, breaking his grip on the rope and sending the both of them tumbling earthward.

Ryu turned himself. It was a man, dressed like a ninja, now just within reach, his arms reaching out for him. Ryu reached out, his reach several inches longer than this man's, and snatched the front of his outfit, pulling him toward himself and delivered a punch to the man's face with the other.

This caused them to spin in the air, the ground and the sky rapidly trading positions in a nauseating dance. The ninja grabbed Ryu's arm and pulled him suddenly toward him, slamming their heads together. Stars filled Ryu's vision and he lost his grip on the ninja's clothing. The ninja grabbed his shoulder and twisted their bodies, and Ryu felt the ninja's arm around his throat, tightening quickly.

Ryu slammed his head backward, directly into the ninja's face. This caused a grunt of pain and the arm around his neck loosened. Ryu twisted around in the ninja's grip. The ground was coming up fast. Ryu pushed the ninja down, trying to get him beneath himself. The ninja threw a swift punch into Ryu's stomach, causing him to exhale part of his breath, and he counterd with an upward kick directly into the ninja's chin. The ninja flipped backward, away from Ryu, toward the building on the closest side of the street.

He clipped a windowsill and shouted in pain, spinning back in the other direction to land face down on a parked car, caving in the roof, and setting off the alarm. Ryu landed on one on the other side of the street, instantly rolling to lessen the impact, caving in the roof and rolling across the hood to land on his back on the pavement in front of it. He lay there a moment to catch his breath, then at last said, "Ow."

Ryu pulled himself up, aches all over his body from the impact, but nothing felt like it was broken. He was pretty lucky, he realized as he looked over at where the other ninja had landed.

Then, to his disbelief, the other ninja pushed himself up out of the crevice of the roof. The ninja rolled off the side of the car onto the pavement. Ryu moved toward him, drawing his sword as he did so.

The ninja was holding one leg, just above the knee. He suddenly twisted to the side and with a loud snap, put the broken bone back in place, then climbed to his feet. Ryu ran for him.

The ninja saw him coming and dashed to meet him, his hand going for his sword.

In one instant, the two met, their blades crashed together, sparks flying through the air, lighting up the night street, reflecting in the drops of rain all around them. Ryu stepped quickly to the right, aiming his second swing toward the ninja's head. The ninja reacted quickly, bringing up his sword to turn the attack, causing more sparks to fly as the metal blades slid along each other.

The ninja dropped low, sweeping out a foot to take Ryu's feet out from under him. Ryu jumped upward, the ninja missing by several inches, and brought down one leg in a powerful heel kick toward the ninja's head. The ninja rolled backward out of Ryu's reach, the heel of his foot striking against the pavement.

"You are good," the ninja said.

"You're not too bad yourself, compared to those losers you work with," Ryu said, running toward him and aiming another swing for the ninja's chest.

The ninja brought his sword up, catching Ryu's blade close to the hilt, locking the two blades together in a struggle of raw strength.

"Don't misunderstand," the ninja said, "The mercenaries are but a means to an end. My job was to make sure they did theirs."

"You mean kidnapping my wife!" Ryu shouted in the ninja's face and jerked a knee upward, striking him in the stomach.

The ninja staggered back, his wind knocked from him, doubled over. Ryu spun to the side, lifting his right foot for a powerful roundhouse kick. The ninja quickly leaned back, the kick whistling past his face, and kept moving back, somersaulting off his hands to flip over again in the air before coming down on his feet a distance from Ryu.

"A regrettable action," the ninja said, "I'm quite familiar with your exploits, Dragon Ninja. Rest assured I have nothing but respect for you. Your wife will not be harmed."

"Then what's so important about that amulet?" Ryu asked.

"That I do not know as my master did not see fit to inform me," the ninja said, "but your wife will be returned when you hand it over to us and our task is complete."

"That's not what the letter said," Ryu said, moving several steps toward the ninja.

"The letter I neither saw nor approved," the ninja said, "Like I said, I am familiar with your exploits, and so is my master. You may be only one man, but he refuses to take any chances. Your wife will be the insurance that you stay out of our way."

"Sounds to me like you're planning something that you know I wouldn't agree with," Ryu said, and made his move.

He darted in quickly, the ninja slashing at him, and he sidestepped quickly past it, behind the ninja and aimed his swing low to take off both the ninja's legs. The ninja jumped upward, the blade whistling under his feet, spinning as he did so, and brought up one foot for a spinning kick to Ryu's face.

Ryu felt the hit, knocking him sideways, and he hit the ground with a roll, instantly back on his feet.

"It's a difference of opinion only," the ninja said, "The world will be a better place when we're through. I will admit, though, that there will be a few things we must do that you would not agree with, with your standard of morals."

The ninja spread his arms wide, gesturing to the city around them. "Look around you, Ryu. How many of these people would be willing to pick up a sword to fight for what they feel is right? How many of them would run and hide, even at the cost of their own families' lives? The world is full of cowards, Ryu. When the hammer falls, they scream and flee in terror, and beg to be rescued by the likes of us. And what happens when it is over?

"They want us to disappear," the ninja continued, "They don't want to be reminded of the horrors we saved them from. Think of it, Ryu, if they knew that you and you alone were responsible for life going on as usual, instead of the Archfiend being released to re-establish His rule over the world?"

The ninja chuckled. "What do you think they would do if they knew you were capable of slaughtering them by the thousands?"

"You're twisting things to what you want them to be," Ryu said, "The whole point of what I am, a ninja, is so that I do the deeds that are necessary so that others don't have to. You wouldn't hand a boy a sword and tell him to kill a man who would hurt his family and friends, would you? People who simply want to get through life peacefully with their families, and do no harm to no one, they are not wrong."

"You see," the ninja said, shaking his head sadly, "I knew you wouldn't agree. And that's why we must do things this way."

Ryu realized he could hear sirens. He turned to see several police cars come around the corner and up the street toward them, lights flashing almost blindingly bright in the night. Of course, someone heard the car alarms, probably seen the two of them fighting in the street, and called the police. When he looked back, he saw more coming up the street from the opposite direction.

The ninja sheathed his sword. "Think about it, Ryu," he said over the approaching sirens, "There's a place in our new world for a man like you. And through you there is a place for your loved ones. We don't have to be enemies, you and I."

The cars screeched to a halt and police leaped from the doors, drawing their pistols and leveling them at the pair of ninja. "Freeze!" came a voice over a megaphone, "Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air!"

"Look at them, Ryu," the ninja said, "Do you think these peons understand what we are? They are sticking their noses where they don't belong, interfering in our battle, because we don't follow their 'law.' They would kill us if they could. But when this world changes, they will beg for us to save them. I know I will not step out to save them. What about you?"

"I am a ninja of the Dragon Clan," Ryu said, "I know my duty. A shame you and your clan seem to have forgotten."

"We'll meet again, Ryu," the ninja said, "When we do, what happens will be up to you, not me. We can be friends, you and I, or we can find out which of us is the greater warrior. You with your duty, or me with my belief."

"Then tell me your name, ninja," Ryu said.

"Tetsuo," the ninja said, "I am Tetsuo of the Wolf Clan."

The ninja turned and ran away from him up the street, leaping upward onto the hood of the car and then over the heads of the astonished policemen, then disappeared around the corner, one car starting up and moving after him.

The police turned back to Ryu, raising their pistols. "Freeze!" came the enhanced voice again, "Drop the weapon and put your hands on your head!"

Ryu slid the Dragon Sword into its sheath. It was time to go. These people weren't the enemy.

He turned and dashed toward the line of cars suddenly, startling the police, who opened fire.

Their aim was shaky and bullets whizzed past Ryu into the air and into the pavement near his feet. He leaped up onto the hood of the first car, denting it under the weight of his landing, then leaped again, flipping once in the air as he flew over the heads of the policemen, landing near the sidewalk and disappearing quickly down the nearby stairs into the subway.

* * *

Morning broke over the city of Chicago. The morning news showed a report of two men who had been sighted fighting a sword duel to the death in the middle of a street, who had then both evaded the police. No deaths were confirmed. In unrelated news, an antique store on 57th street was robbed, and the owners were yet to be accounted for as they cannot be found and there were no bodies, but from the amount of blood on scene, someone had certainly been killed there.

Ryu had gone into the subway tunnels to evade capture. In the dark tunnels, the police had even brought in dogs to try and find him, but in those places, he could evade them like a ghost's shadow. Now, as dawn broke, he moved back up into the streets. He had found a tan trench coat that he regretted stealing, but needed to wear over his ninja costume now. With the hood and mask down and tucked into the neck of the coat, the only obvious give away was the socks, and he doubted someone looking for a mad ninja would be looking at his feet.

Ryu made his way quickly to the bank to fill out the paper to wire money to Kasumi in Los Angeles. After doing so, he used a pay phone in the lobby to call her number. Unfortunately, all he got was her voice-mail.

"_Kasumi-san,_" he said in Japanese into the phone, "_You may have already gone to get it, but I just sent you the money for the plane ticket to Japan. Listen, something has happened, and Irene was kidnapped. While you're in Hayabusa village, ask if they have any information on the movements of the Wolf Clan lately. When you get the book, bring it to New York. That's where I'll be. Don't rush after me. I need that book to figure out exactly what these ninja are up to. I'm going to give you the number of a contact of mine named Sonia. Call her when you get back and she'll be able to find me, okay?_"

He gave the number.

"_Look, Kasumi,_" he said with a sigh, "_Don't try anything with the Wolf clan if you encounter them anywhere. I met one of them already, and he's good. Very good. It's not that I doubt your ability, it's that I don't want to take chances. We need to find out what they're up to if we're going to have any chance of stopping them. Be careful, okay? If things go well, I'll probably have Irene safe before you get back. If not, we'll play it by ear. Call Sonia as soon as you get to New York, okay?_"

He hung up the phone. Ryu turned and walked out the door into the bank's parking lot. As if on cue, a black sedan pulled into the parking lot and rolled to a stop in front of him. The dark window rolled down, revealing the face of Sonia, the CIA investigator. "Hey, handsome," she said with a smile, "Need a ride?"

Ryu walked around to the passenger side and opened the door, sitting down in the seat and shutting the door behind him. "You have a plane ready?" he asked.

"A private jet waiting at the airport," she said, letting off the brake and steering toward the driveway exit, "We'll be in New York by sundown."

"Good," Ryu said, buckling his seatbelt as the car edged into the street.

_Just wait, Irene,_ he thought, _I'm coming for you._


	3. Chapter 3

As of this chapter, I have officially played through the original Ninja Gaiden Trilogy for background research, and came to a discovery that Ryu's father dies in both versions of Ninja Gaiden 2. Some more reading on Wikipedia than I originally did and I've found that as far as the newer games and Dead or Alive are concerned, the original trilogy did not happen, so Irene does not exist. So I inadvertently created my own timeline without even realizing it. I can start over, or go nuts. I'm opting for the latter. So, it's safe to say, in spite of DoA5 having been announced at the time of this writing, I'm counting DoA4 as the end of that story, and the original trilogy involved. This will not have much effect on this 10 chapter or so fic too much, but I was planning to leave it open for a sequel, and what I have in mind has completely changed. That's a ways down the road at this time, though.

**Chapter 3: Snake in the Wolf's Lair**

"Coffee?" Sonia asked as she poured herself a cup.

The jet was in the air and on route to New York. Ryu had to admit, a CIA plane was a fairly high class flight. The cabin they were in had two long seats on either side, enough room for at least ten people, and a low table in the middle, complete with cupholders. Sonia was near the front of the cabin, where there was a small alcove and a coffee machine, and probably a small refrigerator underneath.

"No thanks," Ryu said, "Do you have any tea?"

"Uh, there's some instant tea here," Sonia said.

"Nevermind then. How about a soda?"

Ryu heard her open the fridge and soon walked back to him and handed him an icy cold can. He popped the tab and took a swallow.

"Okay, what you wanted me to find," Sonia said, producing a notebook computer from beneath the seat across from him.

She sat it on the table and opened it, switching the power on. In just a moment she turned it around to him, the screen showing a large amount of information and a picture. "This here is Ivan Grechnekov," Sonia said, "He's the leader of the mercenary group called the Volk."

The picture was of a bald man with a heavy frown, thick eyebrows, and a long scar on his left cheek, and a neck as big around as his head. The information gave a listing of his height, weight, and even his birthday.

"Six foot five, three hundred twelve pounds," Ryu read aloud, "Big guy. Where'd his bunch come from?"

"'Volk' is Russian for 'wolf,'" Sonia said, "They used to be part of the Russian army, the Wolf squad, essentially. They did secretive work, the kind to sneak in under cover of night, complete their objective, and sneak right back out. More than a few assassinations that the Russian government denies any involvement in.

"One mission went terribly wrong, and only Ivan and three others made it out alive. When the government refused to acknowledge them, or even make an effort to get the bodies of their dead squad members back, they splintered off and went rogue."

Sonia reached over and tapped a button on the keyboard, and the screen displayed three more pictures. "Unfortunately, I couldn't find out the real names of the other three. The first one there is a man who goes by the code name 'Cobra.' He's a damn good hacker. There isn't a security system made that he can't shut down or circumvent. His trademark is to slip a Trojan virus into the system that will slowly copy itself into all the major sectors in a matter of days, then set off on a command from him, shutting down the system entirely."

"Welcome to the age of computers," Ryu muttered.

Cobra's picture was of a man in his thirties, a short flat-top of hair, and was missing one of his front teeth.

"The second goes by the name 'Shotgun.' He's an explosives expert. Building them, setting them off, or disarming them, he's very good at what he does. It's seems likely that he's also connected to several supposed terrorist attacks on the east coast in recent months. Bombings, of which one the FBI managed to disarm in time. Whole building was booby trapped all to hell and back. When he sets something up, he really doesn't want someone disarming it."

Shotgun's picture was of a man in his late twenties, or maybe early thirties, and he seemed like a surprisingly frail man compared to the others. His skin was pale and he was very thin, and judging by the information beneath the photo, nearly twenty pounds under weight for his size.

"And lastly, there is 'Hawk Eye,'" Sonia said, "The youngest of the lot, he joined the Russian military at sixteen and made his way into the Volk as a sniper. He's an extremely skilled marksman with both rifles and side arms, and according to all available information, is now their second in command."

The man in the last photo was fairly young, and probably the only one of the lot that could be considered remotely handsome, with a strong chin and an easy smile, and no disfiguring marks.

"The rest of the members were recruited after they splintered from the Russian military," Sonia said, "Mostly Russians, but a few Americans, Germans, and some Brits here and there."

"Are there any women in their group?" Ryu asked.

Sonia sat up and looked at him. "Not that I could find out. Why?"

"The group that was at my shop was being led by a woman," Ryu said, "I didn't get a clear look at her, but she had white hair, and a British accent."

"Maybe she is their employer," Sonia suggested.

"Maybe," Ryu said, "Now, what's the 'Fever Palace?'"

"On 116th street in New York City," Sonia said, "It's a strip club. You know, a bunch of naked women shaking their asses for money. I did do some looking into it," she paused and tapped a few keys on the computer, bringing up a new set of images, "It was opened recently, in fact shortly after the fiends disappeared from New York after the incident eighteen months ago. The owner got the property fairly cheap, considering it was in rather bad shape at the time. He rebuilt it into the nightclub it is now, and has been making a killing. Remarkably how quickly he got it up and running, considering some areas of the city are still being rebuilt. But here's what caught my interest."

She tapped a key and one of the pictures enlarged. It was an image of a truck back up to the alley behind the club, with several men unloading a large crate, and armed guards just inside the back door, barely visible. "For starters, the guards inside are armed with AK-47s. Last I checked, bouncers don't carry assault rifles. I haven't found out what's in the crate, but I'd bet money that it's illegal arms or drugs."

She tapped another key, and another picture enlarged, taking the place of the first. This was an image of the front of the club, but a location of interest was circled in red. It was a specific person, going inside.

"Hey, that's Shotgun," Ryu said.

"That's right," Sonia said, "and look just to his left. There's Cobra. I think this nightclub is a face for their current base of operations."

"Then why would they tell me to go straight there?" Ryu asked, "It would make more sense to have the exchange a long way from home, so to speak."

"Possibly because there will be civilians in there," Sonia said, "I'd say that would be a hope to keep you under control. Now, why don't you show me what it is they want?"

Ryu reached to his belt and pulled out the amulet, setting it on the table. "This is what they want for Irene."

"Not much to look at, is it?" Irene asked.

Indeed, it wasn't. The amulet was about two inches across, and the lettering on the front was nearly worn away by time, and whatever its original color had been, it had worn away to a dull brown.

Irene picked it up and examined the letters. "What does this say?"

"I don't know yet," Ryu said, "A friend of mine is going to bring me a book that may allow me to translate it. Her name is Kasumi. I gave her your number, so she'll call you when she reaches New York."

"So I'm the go between?" Sonia asked.

"Sorry. I don't have a cell phone."

"Ryu," Sonia said, sitting her coffee cup down on the table and pushing the computer closed with the other, "Now, enlighten me. What exactly are you planning to do when we reach New York? Let me stress again that there are going to be civilians in this place. Your normal approach isn't going to work."

"I can be discreet when I need to be," Ryu said.

"Oh, that's good to hear, because you're normally like a freight train through a supermarket."

Ryu picked up the amulet from the table and slipped it into his belt. "Look, last night, there was a ninja with them. From the Wolf Clan."

"Wolf Clan?" Sonia said, "Oh, that's too obvious to be coincidence."

"He said the mercenaries were a means to an end," Ryu said, "I think the Wolf Clan are the Volk's actual employers. And I don't think Irene is even at this strip club of theirs."

"So you're not planning to make an exchange at all," Sonia surmised.

"No," Ryu said, "I'm going to wait until nightfall, and sneak into the club. It will be fairly busy after dark, and the Volk's attention will be on the patrons, not the shadows. I'm going to find someone or something that can tell me where Irene is. If things go well, I'll be gone before anyone realizes I was there."

"And if things go badly, it'll be a bloodbath," Sonia said with a sigh, "Look, Ryu, I know I owe you for saving my life, but listen to me for a moment. There may be a better way to handle this. Let me get team together. We can take the place after closing time, clear it out, and find out what you want, and then we can pass it off to the press as a drug sting."

"And then the Wolf Clan and any other groups of the Volk will know something is happening," Ryu said, "Give me one night, Sonia. If I don't find anything, then we'll do it your way."

"Fine," Sonia said, "God, I'm going to be catching flak from Forrester for this."

"Douglas Forrester? The head of the CIA?"

"That information isn't public. How do you know…" Sonia started, then caught herself, "Irene. Is there anything she doesn't tell you?"

"It's rather clever, actually," Ryu said, "One public figure to pose as the head of the CIA and become the target of any potential assassinations while the real one operates from behind the scenes. Wouldn't fool a ninja worth his salt, though."

Sonia reached up to an intercom just above her seat and pushed the send button. "How much longer to New York?" she asked.

"About an hour," came the reply from the pilot.

"That puts our arrival at about noon," Sonia said, checking her watch.

"I'll be able to get a few hours of sleep then," Ryu said, then gestured to the phone on the wall behind him, "That phone work?"

"Yes," Sonia said, "And it's encrypted, so it's safe to use."

Ryu picked up the receiver and put it to his ear, pulling a small slip of paper from his belt. It was the phone number the man who had visited the shop yesterday had given him. He dialed the number. The phone scarcely rang once before it was answered. "Can I help you?" came a voice from the other end.

"I was told to ask for Eric," Ryu said.

"One moment."

The line went silent. A moment later a second voice came on the line. "Hello, Ryu. I thought you'd call soon."

"You set me up, didn't you?" Ryu asked, "It hadn't been two hours before they showed up looking for that cursed amulet."

"I assure you I had no idea," Eric said, "I must have been followed. I thought I had been discreet. Seems I made a mistake."

"Where did they take Irene?" Ryu asked.

"I'm afraid I don't know," Eric said, "If you give me about forty-eight hours, I can find out."

"I thought your group knew everything."

"We have an excellent intelligence network, but we aren't omniscient, Ryu," Eric said, "Besides, no doubt you already have your own plan in motion to save her. Wouldn't want to lose her twice, right?"

Ryu knew exactly what he was referring to. Nearly ten years ago now, when the rogue CIA agent Foster had found a way to utilize demonic energies to create super warriors called Bionoids. Foster had used the technique to create a clone of Ryu, who had murdered Irene and framed Ryu for the crime.

Fortunately, Irene had survived. His evil twin had thrown her off a cliff rather than kill her directly, and she had survived the fall, to be picked up by a squad of marines she had been working with to investigate Foster's actions. Ryu, thinking she was dead, had sought out Foster at his base of operations, the Castle Rock, located out in the middle of the Sahara. Once there he'd found the truth about his clone and Foster. He also found that the CIA agent, Clancy, who had given him the information about the castle was working for Foster. Ryu managed to defeat his clone, and Irene had arrived with a squad of marines at her back. Even Foster couldn't believe his eyes when she appeared with an assault rifle pointed his direction.

Things took a turn for the worse, when a living battle ship from the time before history was revived, and was set on a path to wipe out the major cities of the world. Foster was killed by the demonic energies while trying to board it, but Clancy literally thrived in the energies, his body changing shape into a monstrous grotesque beast. Thanks to the Dragon's blood in his veins, Ryu was unaffected as he made his way through the ship, defeating his clone a second time, and finally killing Clancy and bringing the ship crashing back to earth.

He had found Irene, and less than a month later, he had proposed to her. His exact words, in fact, were, "Before anything else happens, will you marry me?"

After that he had opened his antique store, and later been drawn into the problems with the organization, DOETEC, and the Dead or Alive tournament.

"I'm placing at least part of the blame for her kidnapping on you," Ryu said, "Because I don't think you're as ignorant as you claim to be."

"You are a very shrewd man indeed," Eric said, "I will make the inquiries, and if you have not located her before I have, you will appreciate my help, yes?"

"Fine. One more question. How are the Wolf Clan involved in this?"

"Ah yes, I saw the news about you fighting that other ninja in the street," Eric said, "Well, their involvement is quite simple. They were the ones we took the amulet from in the first place. I can only assume they want it back."

"You son of a bitch!" Ryu cursed, "If I'd known that I'd have never taken the damned thing! You lied to me!"

"Please, Ryu, I'm going to help you, remember? Calm down."

"When this is done, I never want to see your face again," Ryu said, "Understand?"

"Very well," Eric said, "I will get you your information, and once you find your wife, you'll never see me again."

The line went dead. Ryu hung up the phone.

"Care to tell me what that was about?" Sonia asked.

Ryu took a long drink from his soda, draining the can, then muttered another curse in Japanese. He looked up at Sonia. "All right," he said, "Last night, just before closing…"

* * *

It was just past ten thirty. Even at this time, New York was a busy city, the streets packed with vehicles nearly bumper to bumper, the dance of headlights a dazzling display.

Ryu dashed quickly up the back alley toward the rear of the Fever Palace. From the front, the club had appeared a blinding display of neon lights flashing on and off with at least six in the silhouette form of nude women. The main parking lot was to the left of the entrance, and Ryu found the employee parking in the rear.

Ryu stopped at the opening of the alley where he could see the lot. Sixteen vehicles of various shapes and colors filled the lot, and beyond them he could see two entrances to the building. One was the employee entrances, a single door with a window of latticed glass. The door stood open, and a burly looking man was standing just outside, lighting a cigarette, then taking a puff and eyeing the parking lot. Probably a bouncer on break, Ryu decided.

To the right of the door was a large garage door, large enough for a vehicle to enter, though Sonia had been certain it was merely for unloading of supplies, be they drinks and food or other, less legal goods. That door looked like steel, and was no doubt locked from the inside.

The building was two stories, and Ryu looked up at the windows on the second floor. Most of them were closed and brightly lit, but one on the far right side of the building was dark. Perhaps a storage room. If he wanted to get in unseen, that would be the best bet. Sonia had suggested a vent on the west side of the building, but it turned out to be too small for him to fit into.

"Sonia," he said, "There's a window on the second floor that looks promising. I'm about to go in."

When they had arrived in New York, they'd still had hours to wait before dark. Sonia had taken him to what she said was a safe house, though they'd ridden in the back of a car with the windows tinted so dark he hadn't been able to see out, to keep the location secret, apparently. The car had parked inside the building, and he later left in the same manner, so he wasn't sure where it was.

But while there, she'd given him a few tools that would prove useful. The first was an earpiece radio that fit just inside his ear which would keep him in contact with Sonia. Its volume was low enough that no one would be able to hear it but him, but it was sensitive enough that it could even pick up a whisper from him. She would be able to hear everything he did.

The second thing she had given him were three smoke grenades that were hooked into the back of his belt. He'd never thought about it before, but they were ingenious little devices, he had to admit. Pull the pin and toss it out and you've got visual cover in a brightly lit area. "Only for an emergency," she said. Kind of like flash-bombs, but useful for more than a split second. He had brought several of his own flash-bombs anyway. Shouldn't be without them, to be honest.

And lastly, she'd given him a small camera, barely as large as his palm, with a request that if he had a chance, he should find out what they were shipping in and get some pictures. The camera itself could take pictures in night vision and infrared, so light wouldn't be a problem if it were in a dark room. And to go along with it was a 'snake cam,' as she had called it. An attachment that was a small camera on the end of a cord that coiled around his right wrist, and if he attached it to the camera, he'd be able to use it to see around corners and under doors.

The man across the parking lot took a last pull on his cigarette before dropping it to the pavement and grinding it under his heel, then turned and stepped inside, pulling the door closed behind him.

"It's clear," Ryu said, "I'm going in."

"Right," Sonia's voice said in his ear, "You keep me informed if anything happens. I've managed to get a small team together, and they're armed and ready. If things go bad, I'm going to send them in."

"Are you that concerned for my safety?" Ryu asked.

"More worried about the press disaster if things go bad all that is there is your handiwork of severed limbs," Sonia said.

Ryu moved into the parking lot, quickly darting to the nearest vehicle and ducked behind it, to stay out of sight of the building's windows. Staying low he darted up to the next row of vehicles, stopping next to the door of a tall pickup. He used the door mirror to check the windows, and seeing no one, moved out and crossed the distance to the wall in a full run. Near the right side there was a large swamp cooler attached the wall, running with a low hum.

He quickly moved to the right side, out of sight of the door as it started to open. "Oh, come on, just one drink," a man's voice said, "Won't take long."

"I want a bath much more than I want a drink, Doug," said a woman's voice, "I'll see you tomorrow night."

Ryu heard the beep of a car's alarm being switched off. "Never even give me a time of day, will you?" the man asked.

"That's right. Good night, Doug," the woman said, then a car door shut and the engine roared into life.

The car started to move, and passed by Ryu, turning around the side of the building toward the main street. Fortunately, the woman hadn't glanced in his direction.

He waited a moment longer, then he heard the back door swing open and shut again.

He moved swiftly, turning around and leaping up, pulling himself onto the top of the large swamp cooler and turning to the wall. Ryu leaped toward it, and dashed straight up the wall, managing for steps before gravity started to turn against him, and he reached up with his hands and managed to catch the windowsill. He pulled himself up until he managed to get an arm on the small ledge.

With his other hand, Ryu gently eased the window up. It wasn't locked, and in a moment, he had a large enough gap to slip his fingers under the window and push it further up. As the window opened, he was hit with obnoxiously loud music coming from the dark room, with the lyrics screamed at such a volume one could barely understand what they were saying.

_Who in their right mind would call this music?_ Ryu thought.

Ryu pulled himself into the room, crouching low under the window. The room wasn't as empty as he had hoped. On the left hand side was a single spotlight on a woman on a small stage, leaning heavily on a pole in its center, in an outfit roughly the size of a handi-wipe.

Ryu avoided looking directly at the light, and his eyes were adjusting to the dark. He realized why the room was so dark now. It wasn't a storage room, but a private VIP lounge. There were four tables in the room, three of which seated two men each and the last one with just one patron. Ryu couldn't make out their faces in the dark, but all seven of them were riveted on the performance by the woman.

Sticking close to the back wall, Ryu made his way across the room. The woman would be blinded by the spotlight, so there was no chance of her seeing him in the dark, and he moved carefully so that the men would not hear him.

The door at the far end was actually just a curtain, a sheet of cloth handing over the opening. Ryu stopped just to the right of it. He pulled the small camera from his belt, and took the wire from the coil on his wrist and hooked it into the camera. Holding the camera in his right hand, he uncoiled a small bit of the cord from his wrist and crouched down low, slipping the end of the snake cam under the curtain.

He had to hold the camera right up to his eye so the light of the digital screen wouldn't give him away, but it worked well. Turning the end of the cord, he made out the hallway, brightly lit, and a door on the other side of the hall. Just to the right of the door to the lounge was a bulky looking bouncer.

Ryu switched off the camera, quickly coiling up the snake cam, and putting the camera back on his belt. Boy, technology today made this stuff easy. He almost felt guilty about how the ninja of Feudal Japan had to do it.

Ryu checked the men at the tables. Still riveted on the dancer. He faced the entrance to the room, standing just to the right of the door. He slowly slipped his left arm between the doorframe and the curtain. Then, like a snake striking, he pinned the bouncer against the wall by his throat, the tight grip choking him and silencing his cry of shock.

Ryu held him there tightly until his struggles weakened and finally stopped. Ryu eased him slowly downward until he was crouched near the door, then reached out with his other hand, grabbing the bouncer by his shoulders and pulled him into the dark room, quickly depositing him in the corner near the door. He would come to in shortly, but fortunately, he wouldn't have a clue who had hit him, and Ryu would be somewhere else quickly.

Ryu checked the men at the tables again, then slipped into the hall. The right led to a window on the side of the building, and the left led to an intersection and stairs going down. The door across the hall had a sign that read "Owner's Office." He decided that wouldn't be a wise place to barge into. Yet.

Ryu made his way down the hall toward the intersection. He checked around the corners to the left and right. No one in sight. To the right was a door on, again, the right side of the hall, and to the left were six doors, three on each side.

Ryu moved to the left, and stopped at the first door on the left, putting his ear to it. He heard voices. Not words, but a woman and man in the sound of passion. So, this wasn't just a strip club. He moved to the first door on the right and listened to it. All he could hear was that obnoxious music. Checking behind himself, he uncoiled the snake cam and slid it under the door. It was a dark room, with the far end open to light. Packing up the camera, he tried the knob. It was unlocked.

Ryu slipped inside. There was a seat near the open end. He moved closer to the opening and realized it was a balcony that looked down on the first floor. The main room for the customers, to be precise. He could see the stage, the strippers, and the men and a few women in the room, watching the show, talking, and drinking.

_Okay, let's try that door at the other end,_ he thought, turning to leave, when something caught his eye.

As a new song started, new dancers appeared on stage, and the one taking center stage took Ryu's full attention. It was the hair that had caught his eye, and now he knew exactly who she was. She was the woman who had been with the Volk when they appeared at his shop. And now that he could see her clearly, he recognized her from the last time they had met.

It was Christie Allen, the world class assassin.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Fourth Party**

Now this was what vacations were meant to be, Zack thought as he leaned back in his seat. A scotch in his hand, three grand in his wallet, and beautiful, scantily clad women to entertain him. Seated at a table about six feet from the stage, he had a perfect view of everything on that stage, and it was a pleasant sight indeed.

As the song ended, the girls filed off the stage, blowing kissed back toward the hooting crowd. Zack made a point never to hoot. It wasn't something a gentleman did. The lights in the room suddenly dimmed, and a single spotlight appeared on the center of the stage, revealing a beautiful, snow haired woman stepping out as the next song suddenly roared into life, the guitar raging at a volume that pained the ears, the drumbeats shaking the floor.

"You walk on like a woman in suffering," the lyrics blared, "Won't even bother to tell me why. You come along, letting all of us see in the moment, leaving me broken another time."

The woman walked toward the front of the stage with a long stride, resting one hand on the pole jutting up from the wood beneath her.

"You come on like a blood stained hurricane," went the song went on as she squatted low to the stage, swaying her shoulders from side to side, "Leave me alone! Let me be this time! You carry on like a holy man pushing redemption and don't want to mention the peace in mind."

"That's weird," Zack said to himself, "I feel like I know her from somewhere."

He watched her face carefully as she put her back to the pole, pushing herself up along it. He couldn't remember exactly where he had seen her, but he was sure he knew her.

He lifted his scotch for a swallow, to stop when an odd reflection caught his eye. In the side of the glass, a strange dark silhouette in a circle of light. Holding the glass still, he looked closer to realize it wasn't a silhouette, but a black outfit, complete with a mask, but a silver object on top of the head.

Zack turned to look over his shoulder, then turned upwards. There were several balconies above the bar, probably private areas for VIPs. And on the leftmost one, Zack spotted the source of the reflection. A dark outfit, with the hilt of a weapon over his right shoulder. Almost as soon as he spotted it, the figure darted back, out of sight.

"This has got a bit of a conspiracy feel to it now," Zack said to himself, "I wonder what's going on?"

He quickly drained his scotch in one swallow, then rose up from his seat and walked toward the club entrance. "…and I am crippled by all that you've done, into the abyss will I ride," continued the music.

* * *

"Christie Allen?" Sonia's voice asked in Ryu's ear, "As in the Class A assassin Christie Allen?"

"So you're familiar with her?" Ryu asked as he moved toward the door of the small room.

"Familiar?" Sonia said, "Nearly every government agency in the world has her on their targets of opportunity lists. Her record shows fifty-seven confirmed kills, and one-hundred-seventeen unconfirmed. I'd wager money most of those unconfirmed kills were her, but there wasn't enough evidence to be sure.

"The last time she surfaced was when the DOATEC headquarters went up in a great big fireball three years ago. We're still not sure exactly what she was doing there."

"She was working for the CEO," Ryu said, kneeling down to the side of the door, "I think she was employed as a bodyguard for his second, the French woman, Helena."

"Hold on," Sonia said, "Now I've got the file in front of me. Being a bodyguard doesn't match her MO. The file says there were times she hired into service of her victims, but that served to get close enough to finish her job. She was always long gone by the time the body was found. And then that woman, Helena. She was going to be brought in for questioning regarding the DOATEC incident, but she disappeared a few days after the explosion. It's likely Helena was her target."

"Then what's she doing with these mercenaries?" Ryu asked, "She was there when they took Irene. She was in my home, and she was leading them!"

"And now she's a stripper on stage? Odd combination of activities."

"She'll know where Irene is," Ryu said, "I'm going backstage, and after she finishes her act, she and I are going to have a little talk."

"Ryu, be careful," Sonia said, "You promised me no fatalities."

"I said I'd be discreet," Ryu said, "I didn't say I wouldn't kill anyone."

Ryu checked the hall outside the door, then quickly moved out and back the way he had come. His best chance to get backstage unnoticed would be by going through the warehouse. The main area was too populated, and the employee entrance would no doubt be watched. The warehouse would also likely have crates of alcohol or whatever substance they were shipping that he could hide behind and keep out of the line of sight.

He stopped at the corner, leaning just enough around it to see if anyone was there. Almost immediately, the guard he had choked unconscious stumbled from the private room Ryu had entered by, holding his throat with one hand.

So maybe he hadn't told anyone what happened yet, if he could remember it correctly by now. It was more likely his head was still dazed. Ryu took the opportunity and moved around the corner, running in a half crouch toward the man. Just as the man turned in his direction, Ryu brought up his arm and caught him with a vicious clothesline that slammed his back into the floor where his feet had previously been, and cracked his head against the hard wood, knocking him cold a second time.

Ryu quickly slipped past the curtain, into the darkened VIP room, dragging the guard by the armpits, and depositing him quickly in the corner next to the door a second time. The patrons, if they had heard, were not interested, and their attention was still riveted on the small stage. Ryu crept quickly along the back wall, toward the window through which he had entered.

Kneeling down next to the window, he glanced out into the parking lot, careful not to silhouette himself against the light coming in through it. Seeing no one moving among the parked cars, he slipped quickly through the window and dropped to the asphalt below. He fell directly into a crouch, lessening the impact of his landing and the sound of it as well.

"…the hell?"

Ryu turned to see the bouncer from earlier, who had been flirting with the woman as she left. He was staring directly at the ninja, a half smoked cigarette in his hand and his mouth half open in surprise.

They both moved in the same instant, Ryu leaping toward him, the bouncer dropping the cigarette and reaching inside his jacket to pull out a revolver from a hidden holster on his side. The barrel lifted up and the hammer clicked back just as Ryu crashed into the man with all his weight, knocking him to the pavement, the gun flying up from his hand, his skull crashing into the ground with a loud crunch, and Ryu sitting on his chest with both feet and one hand, the other hand reaching out to catch the revolver before it hit the ground.

Ryu stepped off the bouncer, and quickly opened the cylinder of the gun and dumped the six bullets on the ground, then tossed it under a nearby parked car.

"What was that?" Sonia asked.

"I was spotted by a bouncer," Ryu said, leaning down to check the man's pulse, "Had to disable him. He's not dead, but he's going to have a nasty headache when he wakes up."

"No doubt he's going to be missed before long," Sonia said, "Are you ready to pull out and let me send in the team?"

"Christie will be gone before they find her," Ryu said, "I have to get to her first. I'm going to go in through the warehouse."

Ryu lifted the unconscious body of the bouncer by the shoulders and dragged him over to the swamp cooler, and leaned him up against the side in a sitting position. Leaving him there, Ryu moved over to the warehouse door on the right hand side of the building.

It was basically a large garage door, high enough to get a transport vehicle inside, and about two trucks wide, with a standard doorway just to the side. Ryu moved to the door and uncoiled the snake cam from his wrist to slip it under the door and checked through the camera.

It was dark in the warehouse, so the chance of many guards was low. They were confident the locked door was enough, maybe. Ryu rolled the camera to the left, and to the right. A stack of crates about four feet from the door kept him from getting a good view of the entire warehouse. Maybe any guards would have a hard time seeing the door, then. Ryu switched off the camera and wrapped the snake cam around his wrist again, then tried the doorknob. It was locked. Not like he'd expected anything else.

Christie was likely already finishing her act, so there was no time to waste with picking locks. Ryu reached down to the belt of kunai around his left thigh and drew one from its sheathe. He inserted the tip between the door and the frame at the same height as the doorknob, aiming for the latch. When it would go no further, Ryu lifted one hand and used his palm to slam the grip sideways, toward the door. The latch did not break, but the wooden doorframe did, with a loud snap and the clunk of a two inch chunk of wood landing on the concrete floor inside.

Ryu slipped the kunai back into its sheath, and reached for his sword as a single footstep was heard on the concrete, followed by the small click of a gun's safety being released. Ryu kicked the door open and leaped inside, turning to the direction of the sound and brining his weapon down toward the startled guard's weapon. The superior metal of the sword easily cut the AK-47 in half, gunpowder spilling from the chambered round that had been cut open.

Ryu snatched the guard's neck with his left hand and stepped closer, getting his left leg behind the man's feet, tripping him as he pushed him downward, and slammed his head into the concrete, the sound of the impact followed immediately by the sound of the front half of the assault rifle landing on the floor with a crash that echoed throughout the warehouse. Ryu lifted his sword, ready for the inevitable attack.

No guards appeared. Rows of crates, piled high, were all he could see. "Only one guard in the warehouse," he said, sheathing his sword, "That is very strange."

"Well, might as well make the most of the situation," Sonia said, "While you're there, would you mind terribly opening one of the crates and getting some pictures of whatever they are shipping?"

"All right," Ryu said, "Probably won't have time on the way out anyway."

Ryu selected a crate at random and, finding the lid nailed shut, used a kunai to pry the corners up, then pulled the lid off, standing it up against the side of the crate before looking in.

"Sonia," he said as he looked into the crate, "It's full of cash."

He reached into the crate and picked up a small stack of money, bound around the center with a rubber band. "Twenty dollar bills," he said, "There must be a hundred thousand dollars in this crate alone."

"It's counterfeit, obviously," Sonia said, "Now the question is how they are laundering it. A strip club isn't exactly the best front for such an operation. Get a couple pictures. One of the crate as a whole, and a couple close up shots of one of the bills, front and back."

Ryu pulled out the camera and snapped a shot from above the crate, then pulled one of the bills from the bundle he had picked up and lay it on the floor, kneeling down and adjusting the camera to maximum zoom before taking the shot, then flipped the bill over and took another.

"Okay," Ryu said, slipping the camera back into his belt, "That's done. Now I'm going to find out what they've done with Irene."

"Okay, the pictures transmitted through," Sonia said, "With these, I can get approval for a heavy assault team to take the place. Tell me when you're done and I'm sending them in."

"Is that approval for me to be less discreet?" Ryu asked.

"Only if you need to," Sonia said, "And if you do, try not to kill the main Volk members. We'll want as many of them alive as possible."

"Okay," Ryu said, "I can do tha-"

He stopped short at the sound of someone stepping heavily on top of one of the crates. It had been two steps, in fact, as though they had lost their balance suddenly and been forced to catch themselves.

Ryu turned slowly in place, looking up the stacks of crates. The silence in the warehouse had suddenly become deafening. He wasn't alone, he knew, but he could not see anyone hiding atop the crates.

Ryu walked slowly down the aisle between to rows of crates, looking atop either side carefully. He stepped slowly, carefully stepping down on his heel and slowly lowering his foot to mask all sound of his movement.

The human body made numerous sounds, some so subtle and so constant that the ear had a nearly impossible task of differentiating them from the background. Breathing created one such sound. It was nearly impossible to truly breathe silently, and when one became nervous, they may start breathing faster, which was considerably louder.

And even the human heart created a subtle sound, so quiet most had to literally put their ear to another person's chest to hear it, but when one's life depended on remaining utterly silent, it could seem ear-shatteringly loud.

There was a creak of wood to the right. Ryu snatched a kunai from its sheath and threw it with startling speed toward the source of the sound. It impacted something, and sparks flew into the air, accompanied by a female shout of surprise.

"That's not possible," Ryu said, looking up at the source of the scream.

Before his eyes, a figure materialized from thin air, in a jet black body suit, with black belts over the figure's chest which carried several clips of ammunition, and a black belt around her waist with a pistol on either hip, and even a full face mask, with a small set of night-vision goggles over her eyes. Not a single inch of her flesh was uncovered.

The kunai he had thrown had actually struck her belt buckle, which now sparked as she pulled the blade from it. "Stay your hand!" she said as Ryu pulled another kunai from its sheathe, "I am not your enemy!"

"You speak like one of these Russians," Ryu said, noting her heavy accent, "Why should I believe you?"

"Well, that's a very biased way of looking at things," she said, "Just because these villains are Russian, all Russians must be villains?"

"I meant, why should I believe you're not one of them?" Ryu asked.

"Why would I be trying to remain out of sight in my own base of operations then?" she said, "And it's going to be a bit more difficult now, thanks to you wrecking my camouflage. If it makes things clearer, I followed you in, intending to make use of the opening you provided."

"I don't have time for this," Ryu said, putting the kunai back in its sheath, "Just stay out of my way."

"If you're here to hurt these Cossacks, I have no problem with that," the woman said, "But in return, you stay out of mine."

As she said this, she slipped off the pile of crates on the opposite side, out of his sight.

Sonia's voice came to life in Ryu's ear as he moved down the aisle to the far end of the warehouse. "Ryu, what are you doing? You can't let her run loose like that."

There was a set of double doors on the left hand wall of the warehouse, leading back into the club. There were large windows in the doors, giving a clear view of the hall on the other side. Ryu stepped to the wall, and moved up to the doors from the side. "Be quiet," he said to Sonia, "You're distracting me."

* * *

When had been the last time he'd seen Christie Allen? It had been inside the DOATEC headquarters, on the eighty-sixth floor. He remembered that night well. The Dead or Alive tournament was still used as a front to gather the world's strongest fighters to one location, yet it was rather pointless this time around. The important ones were well aware of DOATEC's research, and were intent on putting the company down.

Of all the world's fighters, it had been Kasumi who the DOATEC scientists had created a clone of to be their ultimate weapon. She was young, but skilled, and there was something peculiar about her genetic code. Ryu didn't pretend to understand genetics on the level needed to comprehend what had happened, but the thing that had stepped out of that cloning tank wasn't human, in spite of being created from Kasumi's DNA.

And it had been a war in and around that building. He'd received a message a few weeks before from Ayane that Hayate intended to have the clan move against DOATEC in force. The Dragon clan was too small to provide adequate reinforcements, so Ryu had gone himself. After fighting through the outer defenses, he had come upon Ayane squaring off against Christie.

"Ayane!" he had said, getting her attention as he moved toward them.

"Master Ryu!" she said, "You came!"

Christie had taken a step back, evidently not eager to fight two ninja at once. Ryu took notice of this, then turned back to Ayane. "Where is Hayate?"

"I… don't know," Ayane said.

"You were separated?" Ryu asked, "Maybe the explosions outside…"

"Don't ignore me," Christie said, stepping between them, "You pathetic ninja aren't going to accomplish anything today. I can take you both at once if you like."

"Ayane," Ryu said, "Go. Find Hayate. I will handle her."

"Hai," Ayane said, turning and leaping over the balcony to the floor below.

Ryu turned back to Christie. She was smiling. "I recognize you," she said, "You were the ninja who won the second Dead or Alive."

"A meaningless victory in the grand scheme of the world, "Ryu said, "You're Helena's bodyguard. Where is she?"

"Somewhere you'll never find her," Christie said, "No one but me will get anywhere close to her."

The assassin moved to her fighting stance, her weight leaned back as she crouched low, her hands held in front of her face, palms down, fingers pointed forward in her distinctive snake fist style.

Ryu eased his weight onto his toes, and lifted his arms up before his face, hands open.

"Aren't you going to use that sword?' Christie asked.

"Let's see if you warrant it first," Ryu said.

"You're confidant," Christie said, "Let's see if that's misplaced…"

* * *

The back hallways were carpeted with a thick red shag that masked Ryu's footsteps even better than the soft padding on his soles could have. The dim lighting cast an ominous glow over the area as he moved carefully, keeping watch for anyone as he checked the dressing rooms. Several large communal ones for a number of the girls he passed by, stopping when he saw a name plate on a private room that read "K. Burke."

_Of course she wouldn't use her real name,_ he throught, uncoiling the snake cam from his wrist as he checked behind himself for anyone coming, and slipped the end under the door. Lifting the camera that was also the receiver to his eyes, he quickly panned it across the room, stopping at a dressing table on the far left side. The short white hair and black leather thigh-high boots identified her as his quarry.

He quickly tucked away the camera and coiled the snake-cam back around his wrist, and tried the doorknob. To his surprise, it was unlocked. Gently and slowly, he eased it open, so the hinges would not creak, and stepped softly into the room.

Christie hadn't turned as he gently shut the door, holding the knob so the latch would not click. As he slowly allowed it to turn back into place, the sound of the leather gloves dropping onto Christie's table was louder than the sound he made.

The thick carpet masking his steps, he moved across the room toward her, slowly drawing a single kunai from the sheath on his thigh.

Suddenly, Christie pulled a drawer in the front of the table open and spun toward him, quickly aiming a gun his direction. "You're good," she said, "But I haven't lived as long as I have without staying on my guard."

Ryu easily identified the weapon. A mach 10 machine pistol, which could empty its clip at an astonishing rate, to the point it didn't sound like normal gunfire, but rather like a steady loud growl. He couldn't move fast enough to stop the bullets from that thing with his sword.

"Where is my wife?" he demanded.

"She's safe for now," Christie said, "Did you bring the medallion?"

Ryu reached to the back of his belt and pulled the medallion free, holding it up where she could see it.

"Give it to me," Christie said, "Slowly."

"Tell me," Ryu said as he moved toward her, "What is a world class assassin doing working for renegade Russian military turned mercenary?"

"That's rather complicated and doesn't concern you."

"Now it does," Ryu said, and suddenly jerked the medallion back, and then threw it directly at her face, and dashed toward her.

* * *

"Look man," Zack said to the enormous bouncer barring the door to the back area of the building, "I'm telling you, I was invited back by an old friend who works here."

"Uh-huh," the bouncer said, "And who might that be?"

"Her name's Christie," Zack said, "Christie Allen. She was just up on stage a few minutes ago."

"There is no woman by that name working here," the bouncer said, "Now turn around and go back to the lounge, or I'm afraid I'm going to have to throw you out."

"Are you serious, man?" Zack asked, "Look, just let me talk to her…"

The sound of loud, rapid gunfire suddenly ripped through the air, coming from the back hallway. The bouncer turned toward the door. Zack saw his chance, lifting his knee hard into the big Russian's groin. With a grunt, the bouncer fell to his knees, grabbing at himself. As he went down, Zack swiftly struck him across the face with the heel of his right hand. His head turned sideways from the impact, and stayed there a moment, before his entire body toppled to the floor, limp.

"Yeah, I still got it," Zack said, stepping over his unconscious form and moving into the back.

* * *

Ryu struggled against Christie, trying to keep hold of her. For her size, the woman was deceptively strong, and now she struggled against him, holding her wrists, the one with the gun held up in the air, its clip emptied into the ceiling, and the other holding a knife directed toward his stomach, which he was fighting to hold back.

Fortunately, deceptively strong as she was, she wasn't capable of overpowering him. Maintaining his grip with his left hand on her gun arm, he pushed back the knife with his right, and then wrenched her wrist to the side, forcing her to drop the knife to the floor as she growled through her teeth in pain. Suddenly her knee came up, striking him in the stomach, and knocking the air from his lungs. His grip loosened, and she pulled her gun hand free from him, pulling back to pistol whip him across the face. He was faster as he used his now free arm to strike her across the head with his elbow.

Christie staggered back, dropping the gun and without missing a step went for the drawer in the dressing table, where she no doubt had even more weapons stored. Ryu moved after her quickly, even as Sonia's voice in his ear demanded, "What the hell's going on? Was that gunfire?"

Christie reached into the drawer, only to be snapped back as Ryu's left arm snaked around her throat, pulling her back in a headlock and pulling her tight against his chest, and the flash of steel appeared in the form of the kunai he held before her face with his right hand.

"You better tell me where Irene is," Ryu said, "Because if someone gets here because of that gun you fired before you tell me, you're going to be the first in the pile of bodies I'm going to start building until I find her."

"I don't know where she is," Christie said, "They didn't tell me."

"Then you're no good to me," Ryu said.

"Wait, I might be able to help you find her," Christie said, "Their leader, Ivan Grechnekov, he'd know. And I know where to find him."

"I already know he's in this building," Ryu said, "He wouldn't be able to escape me."

"Dammit, Ryu," Sonia's voice barked in his ear, "You were supposed to stay low, what do you think you're doing?"

"Be quiet, or I'll switch the radio off," Ryu said, "Now, since you're not being much help otherwise, Miss Allen, why don't you tell me why there was a Wolf Clan ninja with you back in Chicago?"

"It's a deal going on with the Volk higher ranks and the clan," Christie said, "I don't know the details. But I know it's the reason they wanted your wife."

"And what about that medallion?" Ryu said, "What do they want it for?"

"I don't know!" Christie said, "I was just pretending to be a stipper on the stage. Do you think they tell me about these schemes?"

"How about my first question then," Ryu said, "Why are you here?"

Christie sighed, and in a much calmer tone said, "I was hired to assassinate Ivan Grechnekov. I have been trying to do so by infiltrating their organization. That I had to get involved in this scheme with you is an unfortunate circumstance. Look, if you'll let me go, I'll help you get the information you want, and then do my job."

"Who hired you?" Ryu asked.

"Private party," she said, "Kept himself anonymous. Probably an old client of these mercs that they pissed off."

Ryu thought on this a moment. There was a knock on the door. "Miss Burke?" came a voice from outside, "Are you in there?"

"Calm him down," Ryu said.

"What do you want?" Christie shouted.

"Someone heard something like gunfire, and we've locked the building down. Did you hear anything?"

"I did," she said, "Thought it was one of you idiots who can't have sex with the strippers quietly."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, "Just tired. Leave me be!"

"All right, just call if you need anything."

Ryu released Christie, shoving her from him, away from the dressing table. She turned to glare at him as he scooped the medallion up from the floor where it landed, then moved toward the table. Glancing in the opened drawer from which she had pulled the gun, he spotted several shining knives, a nine millimeter berretta with a silencer, and even a grenade.

"Sonia," he said, "Is that strike team ready?"

"Yes," she said, "How about you just get out and let us devise a better plan with the information you've gathered?"

"No," Ryu said, "The man who knows where Irene is is in the building. I'm not leaving until he tells me."

"Ryu, there are procedures and plans for this sort of thing," she said, "By dawn, we'll be ready to move…"

"I don't give a damn about your procedures," Ryu said, "I'm not part of your organization. My wife may be, but she is in the hands of mercenaries working with a ninja clan that was a demon medallion. My first concern is her safety. Now how long will it take for that strike team to get here?"

There was a pause, then Sonia answered, "We need thirty minutes."

"It'll be over by then," Ryu said, and looked up at Christie, "Put some clothes on. You're coming with me. You'll get your little job done, _after_ he tells me where Irene is. Understand?"

Christie smiled. "Just what I wanted to hear."

"If you put so much as one toe out of line," Ryu said, "I'll kill you."

* * *

"Shit," Sonia muttered, leaning back from the desk at which she sat, taking off the headphones through which she had been listening to Ryu's progress.

She lifted the collar of her jacket, and spoke into the microphone there. "Harry, you better get ready. That club is about to erupt into chaos."

"Copy that. How are we going to find your friend when we get there?" came the reply.

"Just follow the bodies," she said.


End file.
